January 17/10 10:12 am - Canadian Track Team in Final Prep for Beijing

Posted by Editoress on 01/17/10

The Canadian Track Team has been coming to Los Angeles almost once a month since September, and the team heading in to the final World Cup in China have noticed that the excitement of previous camps has been replaced by a professionalism and a feeling of getting down to business.

Zach Bell has noticed the shift in attitude and focus that these camps have brought. “The sprinters are all starting to take the presence that international sprinters should have. When they are in an effort they own the track and their bikes make a sound that demands your attention. The women working on the team pursuit are looking more like a single machine. And I would like to think I am the metronome behind the moto just ticking over and making it look effortless. Each part is starting to look refined.”

Tara Whitten has made the move down to LA, at least until Worlds, to benefit from the quality track, warmer weather, and the new electric bike that can go over 60 km/hr for an hour on a single charge. Electric Coast Cycle modified a dirt bike to accommodate the high performance needs of the track team, and it's getting quite a workout.

Tara Whitten and the endurance riders get some instruction from Jeremy Storie

The sprinters and endurance riders used the moto for most of the latest session and Tara noted that “the Americans, who were training here earlier in the week, are very jealous of our motorbike! It is an invaluable training tool, and we are lucky to have it.” Video of the women training with the electric bike can be seen at www.youtube.com/canadiantrackcycling.

Travis Smith, who resides in Long Beach, is excited to be doing the team sprint for a second time this season with the young kids of the national team. “Seeing them improving every time they get on the track gives me high hopes for a strong team in the very near future. I know the team and myself are setting our goals high for this race in China. I honestly think we can better our times from previous races and break the 45-second barrier! Being a part of a vision that the whole CCA has this year is well ... AWESOME!”

Laura Brown thinks “it is great to see everyone on form and having fun. We have done some quality team pursuit training these past three days and are looking forward to racing fast in China and winning medals, too.”

The sprinters have been looking strong too. Allan Leparskas, a member of the Canadian Junior Worlds Team last year, is learning a lot from training with the more experienced sprinters at the track. “I think it is very important to be training with guys that are smarter and faster than me, so I consider myself lucky to be the young one. Training with guys that are faster is key because it makes you constantly push yourself over your limit.”

The start list for the events in Beijing will be named closer to the start of the races. The team is looking to improve on the gold medal and two silver medals that they brought home from the last World Cup.